Apparatus for removing fuel dilution from engine&#39;s lubricating oil



5 LUBRICATING OIL Sept. 27, 1932. J. H. HOLLOWAY APPARATUS FOR REMOVING FUEL DILUTION FROM ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6. 1929 um. .1 We

Sept. 27, 1932- J. H. HOLLOWAY 1,379,243

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING FUEL DILUTION FROM ENGINES LUBRICATING OIL Filed Feb. e. 1929 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 56 Oil.

Patented Sept. 27, 1932 v UNITED s ATEs Tamer-1 JOHN H. HOLLOWAY, 0F GREE BAY, wIsoONsIN, ASSIGNOR TQ NORTHWEST ENGI- NEER-ING CORPORATION, OF GREEN BAY, wIsooNsIN, A cOEI'ORATION or, is.

. CON SIN Arr EAT s FOR REMOVING FUEL DILUTION FROlVlI ENGINES LUBItIoATINe I. j

i Application filed February 6, 1929. Serial 337,905.

It is a recognized fact that in the operation of internal combustion engines of the gaseousmixti'ire type, the fuel passes down by the pistons and rings into the crank case,

5 thinning and contaminating the crank case lubricating oil. This invention has for its object to provide an apparatus for removing such fuel'dilution from the above mentioned Oil. More particularly, according to the present invention the oil'being treated is subj ected not only to a heating temperature suflicient to vaporize part of the fuel constituent but this heat is applied in a chamber under vacuum and through which a current of heated air is passing. 1 Thus the fuel dilutent is removed from the lubricating oil not only by natural vaporization but also by evaporation occasioned by the vacuum conditions which are materially aided by employing the the fuel inthe oil'and carry it A further object of the invention is to provide means to subject the lubricating oil,

. while in continuous movement, to the treatment above described under conditions of substantally constant gravity head.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly definedby claims at the conclusion hereof.

'R-eferring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation view of an engine equipped with apparatus embodying the invention, parts being broken. away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; 1

Fig.3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 83 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the retort.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line55 of 4.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 5 designates an internal combustion engine of any suitable construction having an exhaust manifold 5, intake manifold G, carburetor 7 applied thereto of any suitable or known construction and 8 designates a circulating pump for the crank case lubricating The engine has not been shown in full hot air as a vehicle to absorb the vapor fromv but itwill be understood that the upper half if 9 of the crank case is associated with the lower half of the crankcase in" the usual manner.

:A retort or treating chamber v10, in the form of a rectangular box, is mounted on a fiat surface portion 11 of the exhaust manifold and secured thereto by bolts 12 engageable with lugs 18 on said box, the bottom 14 of said box being disposed above the adjacent manifold surface to provide a. dead air space thereb-etween. This bottomlt has a series of transversely extending, spaced ribs or projections 15 which extend upwardly to aid in transmission of heatto the oil andalso insure a substantially constant volume of Oil over the surface of the box at all times. The area for surface heating'of the oil is of considerable extent so that a considerable area of oil surface is exposed tothe air within the chamber and the volume of said chamber issufii cient to provide a spacewhere the vaporsmay readily rise and be absorbed by the air passing through said chamber.

Air-is drawn into the air heater 16, surrounding exhaust pipe" 17, through inlet18 and after suitable heating is delivered by pipe 19 to the upper part of one end ofthe Chit-111 ber 10 through a downwardly directed 'slot 20 in a tube 21 communicating with said pipe.

The air passes through the chamber andthe vapor and air leave the chamber at the other end through slots 22 in a tube: 23 connected by piping 24 to the induct-ion system of the engine and here shown as connected to the intake passage of the engine below the throttle valve 25. Thus, under the action of the engines-suction and the heat of the engines exhaust a continuous stream of heated air is passed throughand over the Oil in the chamber 10, which is also being heated to some extent by the heat supplied from the manifold. Thus, it will be noted that the heat, received .by conduction from the exhaust is usedto effect a separation, by vaporization, of a por tion of the fuel contained in the lubricating oil. The heat thus furnished, however, is only operative on the lighter fractions of the. fuel contained in the lubricating-Oil. The heavier fractions Of the fuel content arere This process is carried out as a continuous one in connection with conventional lubricating systems embodying a pressure feed lubricating pump 8 which takes the oil to be treated from the crank case and delivers it through a pipe 26 to the treating apparatus.

These lubricating pumps that force oil to the bearings and other moving parts of the engine operate at relatively high pressures and yet the oil to be treated must be delivered to the chamber 10 at a relatively low flow rate and at a head which does not vary with the variations that may occur in the oil pressure in the lubricating system.

According to the present invention the low flow rate is obtained by restricting the flow of the oil to be treated to the chamber 10 and instead ofproviding a very small orifice at the inlet to the chamber 10, which might readily become stopped up, I provide an orifice 27 in the fitting 28 connecting pipe 26 with the retort and an orifice 29 in a pipe fitting 3O connecting fitting 28 with said retort, the orifice 29 discharging into the chamber 10. The constant head is obtained by providing a constant gravity head which is impressed upon the liquid that flows through second or low pressure orifice 29 that enters the chamber 10. This arrangement involves an overflow at a definite level so that the oil delivered. through the pipe 26 takes two paths, a part going through the retort 10 by way of orifices 27 and 29 and the overflow passing through openings 31 in the fitting 30'to a verticallydisposed overflow passage or gravity head tube 32, whose outlet 33 is connected by a pipe 34 to one leg of a T-fitting 35 which is connected by'a pipe 36 to a U-tube 37 whose other end enters the crank case at 38. Thus the oil that is bypassed through the passage 32 and the piping connected therewith is not treated and is only used as a means of securing a gravity or low pressure head on the oil that enters the chamber 10 for treatment. The U-tube 37 insures proper vacuum conditions existing in the chamber 10 as it insures a sufiicient head of oil in the by-passline to prevent air from being drawn into the line from the crank case and to cause the oil from the retort to flow down through this line. With this U-t-ube, as the vacuum is built up, a part of the oil in the U-tube is drawn back into the pipe 36 to a height which overcomes the vacuum in the system, thus equalizing the pressure in chamber 10 and in the overflow line and the oil is, therefore, free to fiow through the chamber 10 under its gravity head. I

and thence along and over the projections 15 to the other end of the chamber 10 while undergoing the treatment above described and the residual flows out through passages 42, 43 and 44 into the fitting 35 where it joins the overflow oil returning to the crank case through pipe 36 and U-tube 37 To provide a. check on flow conditions of the system, I provide a pipe 45 communicating at one end with a passage 46 leading from chamber 10 and at its other end with a U-tube 47 provided with a try-cock 48. It should be noted that when this try-cock is open the oil drawn from the chamber 10 through passage 46 is at a lower level than passage 42, which causes oil to flow down through pipe 45 and U-tube 47. It is further noted that the vent 41 connecting with passage 46 equalizes the pressure at this point and relieves this part of the system of gas or prevents it from becoming gas locked.

I desire it to be understood thatthis invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts or otherwise 2. In apparatus for removing fuel dilut ent from the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, the combination with the pressure lubricating pump of the engine, of a retort having a heated air inlet and a vapor outlet connected with the intake side of the engine, and means for circulating oil to be i.

treated from said pump through said retort under substantially constant low pressure gravity head.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature JOHN H. HOLLOWAY.

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